Bilingual House of Memories Cymru launched to support Welsh communities
Created in partnership with National Museums Liverpool and the Welsh government, the app will support the dementia community across Wales.
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An app featuring memories of Wales, Welsh people and their communities has launched at the Welsh Senedd, with the aim of connecting, engaging and improving the lives of Welsh people living with dementia and their loved ones across Wales and beyond.
House of Memories Cymru is a bilingual programme of workshops, training and a first-of-its-kind digital memories app package, which aims to help spark conversations between people living with dementia and their carers.
Through the House of Memories Cymru app package, users can search through a live museum of Welsh items and personalise their experience to include memories that are particularly strong for them.
Memories are prompted in the app with a mixture of audio, video and images of historical items. Key sections for people to explore include Wales during the war, lifestyles of Welsh Communities, industry, memories of childhood, technology, transport and much more.
Representative of everyday life in Wales, objects range from the common family items found around homes, to life events such as the 1984 Miners’ Strike. These memory prompts were curated and collected from existing Welsh museum collections, to create an app that celebrates the culture of Wales, both old and new.
House of Memories Cymru is available through National Museums Liverpool’s My House of Memories app and created by their award-w inning House of Memories team.
Carol Rogers, director of National Museums Liverpool, said: “We are thrilled to launch House of Memories Cymru and add a bespoke Welsh package to our international House of Memories programme. The country of Wales has a rich and diverse cultural heritage that has had a huge influence on Liverpool, and it is a privilege to work in partnership with museum colleagues across Wales, to support the Welsh dementia community.
“We hope the programme will not only help improve the lives of people living with dementia, but also be the catalyst for meaningful connections between them and their families or carers.”
Museums across Wales have supported and contributed to the project to create a selection of 700 memory prompts. The museums involved are: Aura Leisure & Libraries, Ceredigion Museum, Conwy Culture Centre, Llŷn Maritime Museum, MonLife Heritage and Learning, Museum of Cardiff, Oriel Môn, Penmaenmawr Museum, Radnorshire Museum, Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum, Swansea Museum Services, Winding House and Y Gaer Museum. Museums Wales has also joined the partnership with support from the National Lottery Community Fund.
With the House of Memories Cymru app package, users can search through a live museum of Welsh items and personalise their experience to include memories that are particularly strong for them.
Memories are prompted in the app through a mixture of audio, video and images of historical items. Wales during the war, lifestyles of Welsh Communities, industry, memories of childhood, technology and transport all featuring as key sections in the app.
Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Dawn Bowden, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to support House of Memories Cymru which celebrates Welsh culture and invaluable role Welsh museums play in supporting older people and those living with dementia. Bilingual resources like House of Memories Cymru are important as it enables our communities in Wales and beyond to engage with our heritage in the language of their choosing across the globe. They will be able to connect with their community even if they are hundreds of miles away. I’d like to thank all the museums which have been involved in this collaboration which I’m sure will make difference to those living with dementia and their families. “
House of Memories Cymru will now roll out across Wales to help support Welsh communities, with training and workshops starting around the country and the first workshop taking place in Swansea on Wednesday 25 October.
For more information on the project, workshops and to find out how you can download the app, visit: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/house-of-memories.
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FURTHER INFORMATION
Chris Wardle
PR & Communications Officer
chris.wardle@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
+44(0) 7759 718 323
PRESS INVITATION
House of Memories Cymru Launch
Monday 2 October
12-1.30pm
Neuadd, Senedd Cymru, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, CF99 1SN
House of Memories would like to invite you to the launch of House of Memories Cymru, on Monday 2 October, 12-1.30pm.
The event is an opportunity to learn more about the programme from the people involved, and to hear from people who have benefitted from other House of Memories programmes.
Following speeches, there will be photo and interview opportunities with key stakeholders, including people who have worked closely on House of Memories Cymru, as well as representatives from Welsh Government.
To RSVP, please email chris.wardle@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk, by no later than 1pm on Thursday 28 September.
To find out about visiting the Senedd please follow the link below. If you have any special requirements or need further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
https://senedd.wales/visit/our-estate/plan-your-visit/
On arrival Security will check you in. Please bear in mind the following:
- Allow approximately 15 minutes to go through security;
- There may be a short queue outside the building prior to entering;
- Avoid bringing a large bag if you can and minimise the amount of belongings you bring with you, as we have airport-style security and all visitors and belongings are scanned.
Thank you for considering our invitation. We sincerely hope to welcome you at Senedd Cymru for this momentous occasion.
The event is being kindly sponsored by Vaughan Gething MS
NOTES TO EDITOR
National Museums Liverpool
National Museums Liverpool (NML) comprises seven venues, including some of the most visited museums in England outside of London. Our collections are among the most important and varied in Europe and contain everything from Impressionist paintings and rare beetles to a lifejacket from the Titanic. We attracted nearly 2.5 million visitors in 2022.
Our venues are Museum of Liverpool, World Museum, Walker Art Gallery, Maritime Museum, International Slavery Museum, Sudley House and Lady Lever Art Gallery. National Museums Liverpool is regulated by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
House of Memories
House of Memories is National Museums Liverpool’s museum-led dementia awareness training programme. It offers training, resources and activities to enable caregivers to provide person-centred care for people to live well with dementia.
National Museums Liverpool launched House of Memories at the Museum of Liverpool in 2012, working with people in the health and social care sector and training more than 12,500 caregivers across the UK and internationally to date. Part of the programme includes the multi-award-winning My House of Memories app; a digital app designed in consultation with people living with dementia and their caregivers, and the first of its kind in the world, which was launched at the House of Commons in 2014.
The programme has won multiple awards, most recently the Impact Award – International Reach, Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards 2020, and the Exceptional Achievement Award, Museums Association in 2018. It received recognition from Museums & Heritage, winning the National Education Initiative Award in 2014, and also won the Innovate Dementia European Award for the My House of Memories digital app in 2014. It is cited as an example of best practice in the Museums Association’s vision for the impact of museums: Museums Change Lives. In 2015 House of Memories won the Best Dementia Friendly Partnership Working at the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friendly Awards. In 2016, it won the North West Adult Learners Awards Health and Care, and in 2017, House of Memories was a commendation winner for the My House of Memories app at the Jodi Awards, as well as a winner at the North West NHS Clinical Improvement Awards.